Return to the Spirit World
by emma987
Summary: Chihiro returns to the gate, mute and scarred. Haku has been watching her, unseen but always there. When adventures unfold for Haku and Chihiro secrets, important secrets, of Chihiro's true identity that neither knew of will be revealed. ChihiroHaku
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. **

**A/N: This story takes place seven years after Chihiro left the spirit bath and Haku. **

Chihiro sighed as she slowly made her way home. It had been like any other day since the accident, she would go to her job at a nearby flower shop where she trimmed and primped the flowers for their buyers, she was stared at constantly because of the evidence of what had happened on that wretched day three years ago, and she had spoken to no one.

Rummaging her pale hands through her pocket and pulling out the key to her apartment, she allowed her self to think of exactly why she was now mute and disfigured.

It had been three years but even now the memories were bright and clear. They were heading to the park for a picnic, just her, her mother, and her father. It was supposed to be a happy day, a day filled with delight and laughter and it was…until her father turned a corner a little too fast and slammed into an on coming vehicle.

She was lucky; she was sitting in the back and had only gotten about half as much of the force as her parents had. When the police had arrived, she had been transported to the hospital by emergency helicopter immediately…her parents had been announced dead at the scene.

Later, while recuperating, the police had informed her that the airbags hadn't ejected and that they had been crushed beneath the assault of metal and glass.

Now, just a few years later, Chihiro was left with a hideous scar across her face and the torturing memories of what had happened.

Hanging her coat on the hanger by the door, she went into the bedroom and grabbed her pajamas before heading into the bathroom for a quick shower.

--

Sharp, talon like claws landed onto a leather gloved arm. Sleek brown feathers fluttered as the falcon clicked its beak and fluttered its wings, obviously hoping for a treat.

Smiling slightly, Haku pulled one from the small pouch around his waist and fed it to the bird. He shook his head in amusement, his shoulder length raven hair twisting in the breeze from the open window as he watched the falcon devour the treat.

"You did well, Kyu." He petted the large bird's wings while taking him to the large metal cage on the far side of the room. The room itself was fairly small, Kyu's cage, three other bird cages, and cabinets filled with an array of tools, bird food, and treats took up most of the space.

Haku closed that metal cage door and checked the food and water of the bird cages before leaving the room. He just hoped that Kyu had succeeded as well as he hoped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. **

The next morning, Chihiro woke to the loud ringing of her alarm clock. She quickly slammed the snooze button and shoved off the blankets, attempting to ensure that she would not fall asleep.

The slight breeze coming from her open window was refreshing and she breathed in the morning air. Wait…open window. Chihiro froze, she didn't remember opening a window or leaving one open before she went to bed.

Turning slowly and getting out of bed, she looked around the room and, when finding nothing out of sort, slowly opened the door and crept into the connecting hallway and checking for intruders.

Relieved when she had checked every nook and cranny of her small apartment and hadn't found anything, she returned to her room to get dressed.

Chihiro opened the door to her closet and pulled out the clothes she would need for the day and proceeded to hurriedly put them on.

_Crap! _She thought, noticing the time and dashing out of the room, leaving the small note on the window sill unnoticed.

--

_I officially hate Mondays… _Chihiro complained to herself as she opened her door at six o'clock that same evening.

The flower shop had been bustling and since the owner/manager had not expected it to be a busy day, she had been the only one working for most of the rush.

Not only that, when she had finally managed to punch her time card out and leave the store for the lucky one after her, she had remembered that she didn't have any food in the house and was forced to go to the supermarket.

Now here she was, her arms aching from the heavy weight of groceries and her feet tired from the long walk.

_I might as well get started. _She resigned herself to putting away all of the groceries and making herself a sandwich before taking a nap.

--

"Why isn't she here?" Haku wondered out loud. Ryu flew above him, searching for any sign of the woman his master was looking for.

"Was she held up? Or does she not want to see me?" He paced back in forth through the grass. "Did something happen to her?"

Ryu landed on his shoulder and he reached up to stroke the bird's downy wings.

"Where are you, Chihiro?" He whispered, looking into the gate and again finding no one there.

--

Chihiro finished up her sandwich and walked into her room. Shivering when a gust of wind raked across the bare skin of her arms, she walked over to the window to close it.

_What's this? _She grabbed the small note on the window sill.

_It's got my name written on it._

Curious she opened the letter and began to read.

--

"Should I give up, Ryu? We've been waiting here for two hours. Maybe we should give her a little while longer…?" Haku had stopped his nervous pacing and had instead taken to nervously blathering to the bird still perched on his shoulder.

--

Chihiro's eyes widened and the note fluttered to the floor.

_Haku? Did you really send this? How?_

No one else knew about what or who she had met while at the spirit bath…so that meant it had to be him.

_Haku._

She smiled and picked the note back up. Clutching it to her, she checked the time.

_Oh, no! This can't be happening._

It was already two hours passed the meeting time.

Grabbing and slipping on her shoes, she ran from the room and, grabbing her keys also, left the apartment.

--

"I'll give her fifteen more minutes, Ryu. If she's not here by then, I'll just have to accept that she's not coming…" Haku sighed, dejected. He seated himself onto the plush, green grass beneath him and stared at the tunnel leading out of this world and into his beloved's…

--

_I'm almost there…I hope he didn't leave._ Chihiro sighed to herself, her heart was racing and her legs were killing her, but she had to get there, she just had to.

Following the winding path, her breath caught when she neared the massive tunnel leading towards the spirit bath.

--

"Well, Ryu, time's up." Haku stood and turned, walking away.

--

_No, wait!_ Chihiro saw the retreating figure and recognized some of the features. _Haku!_

Colliding with the taller male, they both tumbled to the ground, their breaths leaving them with a 'whoosh'.

"What-" Haku flipped over so that he was above his assailant and froze when he saw a slightly familiar face.

"Ch-Chihiro?" He managed to choke out. Nodding, she smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. **

"Chihiro is it really you?" Haku couldn't believe his eyes. "What happened to you?" Agony panged through him when he saw the large scar that marred her beautiful face.

Above him, Chihiro flinched and turned her head away, forcing the mark of her accident away from his line of sight.

"No, don't." Haku put his hand against her scarred cheek and turned her back to face him. He stroked the rough skin with the pad of his thumb.

_He's not flinching…_Chihiro grabbed his large hand between her two small ones and held it against her cheek. She stared at him with watery eyes and he couldn't help but smile.

"It's okay, Chihiro." He whispered and sat up, feeling Chihiro slid down the length of his body and land in his lap.

_He's really warm. _She had almost forgotten what human contact felt like. Other than the occasional pat on the back from her boss, she hadn't had very much contact since the accident.

"It's so good to see you. I can't even begin to tell you how much I've missed you, even after all these years." Haku said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him, "You look so different."

Immediately, Chihiro brought up her hand and touched her scar. Haku shook his head. "No, Chihiro. It's not just because of your scar, it's everything about you. For instance, you're taller and your hair's longer. You've lost all of the baby fat you had when we were younger, too."

_I didn't have that much baby fat. _She glared at him playfully and couldn't help but realize how natural it felt being here with him, even after seven years.

He chuckled and then suddenly stopped, as if realizing something important. "Chihiro…is something wrong? You haven't spoken this entire time."

She opened her mouth to speak and found that she couldn't. _It's been so long since I've wanted to talk to anyone that I've forgotten how. _Tears gathered in her eyes and she shook her head frantically. She gripped her throat and tried to tell him that she couldn't, that she had forgotten how.

Wearily, he watched her. "Chihiro." He sighed and pulled her closer to him.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, stroking her hair. "It must have been very bad for you."

_You have no idea. _She wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him about everything, about leaving him, about the accident, about the stares and the whispers that followed her everywhere she went.

She buried her face into the cleft between his neck and shoulder and wished that it would never end. Without realizing it, she began to sob.

"Shh." Haku murmured, rubbing her back in soothing circles, "Everything will be all right. You'll see. Now that we're together again, everything will be all right. I promise."


End file.
